ODS SECOND-IN-COMMAND PETR NECAS AN IDEOLOGICAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRAGUE 000094

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2015
TAGS: PINR PREL PGOV MARR EZ
SUBJECT: ODS SECOND-IN-COMMAND PETR NECAS AN IDEOLOGICAL
COMPASS FOR PARTY AND GOOD FRIEND OF U.S.

REF: A. 04 PRAGUE 1845

B. 04 PRAGUE 1857

C. 04 PRAGUE 1877

Classified By: Political Officer Renata Sykorova Turnidge for reasons 1
.4(b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. The December 2004 election of main
opposition Civic Democratic Party (ODS) long-time defense
expert and ideological visionary Petr Necas to the number two
position in the party strengthens Chairman Mirek Topolanek's
leadership team and bodes well for future direction of ODS.
The two former rivals now form a powerful leadership tandem,
and Topolanek relies on Necas for guidance on security,
defense, and foreign policy issues. Necas is clear,
readable, and consistent in his conservative views and has
considerable influence over the party's ideological
development and direction. He is one of the main architects
of the party's bold economic and social reform program being
prepared for an ODS-led government in 2006. Necas differs
from his party colleagues in his intolerant stance against
corruption. A smart, articulate, principled, pro-Western and
pro-American politician, Necas can be relied upon to be open
and helpful in areas of mutual interest, as evidenced by his
long-standing cooperation with the Embassy and helpful
position on issues ranging from the Gripen tender to the
deployment of Czech troops in Iraq. End Summary.

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Ideological Compass of ODS
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2. (C) Petr Necas is relatively young (40),but is a
veteran in ODS, in which he has been active for the past 12
years. In contrast to Chair Mirek Topolanek (to whom he lost
the bid for party chair in 2002),who is known more for his
"common touch" and ability to compromise, Necas is a thinker
and a man of principles. Necas understood in the period
following ODS's surprise defeat in the 2002 parliamentary
election and subsequent departure of founder Vaclav Klaus
that the party was at a crossroads. He has been advocating
internal reforms to broaden ODS's voter base. At the party's
December 4-5 Congress (ref A),Necas stressed that ODS should
not rely solely on its traditional urban, professional
supporters, but focus on reaching voters across the social
spectrum, warning that ODS "did not want to be the party of
the full wallet." He wants the ODS program to offer
opportunities for all Czechs to move up the social ladder.
Necas has also criticized the atmosphere of corruption
created by the 1998 opposition agreement, to the dismay of
other ODS members. He realizes that despite ODS's
overwhelming electoral success in 2004, the party has to get
beyond simply criticizing the Gross government and provide
disenchanted voters with a genuine alternative. He has
warned his colleagues not to underestimate Social Democratic
(CSSD) Minister of Finance Bohuslav Sobotka's efforts to
orient CSSD more to the center (ref B).

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Proponent of Political "Blitzkrieg"
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3. (C) Necas is one of the architects of the comprehensive
ODS reform program, known as the "Blue Chance" that ODS plans
to implement if, as expected, it forms the government after
the 2006 elections. He advocates the quick introduction of
overdue economic and social reforms (tax, social, health,
education, and defense) so that the Czech economy and
citizens will reap positive effects as soon as possible. He
has urged the party to introduce concrete reform proposals to
the public, despite worries from some party members that ODS
will alienate voters if it unveils its reform plans ahead of
the 2006 elections. He wants to make the Czech government
more efficient and advocates eliminating some ministries to
remove redundancies. Necas is also known to distrust
Christian Democratic Union (KDU-CSL) leader Miroslav
Kalousek: noting Kalousek's propensity to play both sides,
Necas stated after Kalousek's election to the head of the
party in 2003 that this was not a positive development for
ODS.

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Party Unity Key
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4. (C) Necas is a big proponent of party unity, urging his
colleagues not to wash their dirty laundry in public as the
CSSD tends to do. He views public bickering among party
members as one of the threats to the party's expected victory
in 2006. Necas, who was considered a favorite to become
party chairman after Klaus's departure and was initially
bitter about his loss to Topolanek, has learned a lesson and
uses himself as an example. Despite his loss to Topolanek,
Necas has become a loyal supporter, and Topolanek
increasingly relies on him, especially on foreign security
issues and outreach to foreign diplomats. Necas has also
overcome distrust of some party colleagues resulting from his
last minute refusal to serve as interior minister in the 1997
Klaus government, and is much respected within the party.

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Defense Expert
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5. (C) Necas has long served as the party's main voice on
defense and security issues, working closely with shadow
foreign minister Jan Zahradil. He was a vocal opponent of
both tenders for the purchase of supersonic aircraft. He
criticized the Spidla government's decision to lease the
Gripen, pointing out the non-transparent nature of the
selection process and the lack of consultations with
opposition parties and NATO partners in such a strategic and
costly issue. He has been the ODS champion of Czech
participation in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan
and has always viewed Iraq as a priority. Most recently,
Necas was crucial to winning ODS support for the latest
extension of Czech troops in Iraq (ref C).

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Biographical Information
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6. (U) Necas was born on November 19, 1964 in Uherske
Hradiste, southern Moravia. He earned a doctorate in physics
from the University of J.E. Purkyne in Brno in 1988. For the
next four years he worked as a process engineer, senior
research and development engineer, and research group chief
for Tesla Roznov, a semiconductor firm. Necas has been a
member of the ODS since its founding in 1991. He was elected
ODS Deputy Chairman in 1999, and First Deputy Chairman in
December 2004. He was first elected to parliament in 1992,
where he served on the Chamber of Deputies Foreign Affairs
Committee, specializing in foreign and security policy and
European integration. He also chaired the delegations to the
Interparliamentary Union and the WEU Assembly. Necas
participated in a 1994 International Visitors program on
foreign policy challenges. He was named First Deputy Defense
Minister in 1995 and served in that capacity until July 1996.
In 1996 he was reelected to parliament, and served as
Chairman of the Security and Defense Committee until 2002. A
defense expert, Necas has been ODS shadow defense minister
since 1998. Since September 2004, he serves as Vice Chairman
of the European Integration Committee. He speaks English,
Russian, and German. He is married and has four children.
According to his official biography, he enjoys history,
literature, classical music and sports, especially swimming
and skiing.
HILLAS